Apple's Middle Age • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple's Middle Age

#111

Post by lasgsf » Tue, Feb 06, 2018, 6:03 AM UTC

specialist wrote: post #107

snowwrestler wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Recognize that Apple will not be the "innovator" that it was in the past. (Apple will still innovate, but not home runs every time.) I don't know where Apple gets this reputation, but they have hardly hit home runs every time. I mean, does no one remember the Newton? Final Cut X? The original Apple TV? The trash can PowerMac? Does anyone think the Touch Bar is a home run? Which is good, because innovation necessari…

Apple Watch Series 3 is roughly equivalent to the original iPhone. It's a weird blindspot for all the Apple critics. Best as I can tell, Apple is 2 - 3 years ahead of everyone else. -- My singular and persistent disappointment remains iCloud. I still want seamless sync and handoff and backup and unlimited storage... That just works . That doesn't require me to do tech supp for my family members. It's getting incremen…

I am on the same page as you...I think the Apple Watch is going to be the replacement for the iPhone. In fact this will be the largest segment as we slowly see most functions move from the phone to the Watch (yes I realize that there are some limitations due to screen size) but in general you will see much move over while the Apple Glass will take over the other function that you need a image of.

Re: Apple's Middle Age

#112

Post by lasgsf » Tue, Feb 06, 2018, 6:06 AM UTC

oflannabhra wrote: post #50

oflannabhra wrote: post #46

The most interesting points of the article were this: 1) iPhone unit sales growth has essentially stagnated, because the overall market has reached saturation. 2) Apple has successfully managed to maintain growth in the face of 1) by increasing revenue per device (ASP). I think the question of "What does Apple do, now?" is a hugely important one. However, I disagree with the author that the only reasonable approach A…

I'd add to this that Apple's current approach to AR and wearables is not one that necessitates the cannibalization of the iPhone. They are taking a constellation approach (as noted in the article), with the iPhone in the center. I think that approach is not one based in defense, but one that actually plays to their strengths: personal products with an excellent experience, vertically integrated. Because of AR's compu…

I actually think it is a deliberate cannibalization being done with here. But they are doing it slowly as not to be a shock to the system. Look at the Apple Watch...my gut you will start to see every year more and more of the functions on the iPhone move over. The beauty of this is ppl will not bark at this as the Watch becomes the yearly replacement cycle vs. the phone which will be every 5 years.

Re: Apple's Middle Age

#113

Post by lasgsf » Tue, Feb 06, 2018, 6:10 AM UTC

adventured wrote: post #20

jballanc wrote: post #8

Any article that speculates on Apple's future viability in the market would be remiss not to mention Apple's unprecedented cash hoard. Currently, Apple is sitting on $126B in net tangible assets. With 100,000 full-time equivalent employees, that means that Apple could pay every one of their full-time equivalent employees (which, as a reminder, includes a large number of retail employees) an average yearly salary of $…

That's not actually how things unfold when a company gets into trouble. Your scenario is the perfect, idealized, never-happens outcome. We have dozens of historical examples at this point, from elite, massive corporations unraveling: what they basically never do, is the strictly rational idealized scenario. What actually happens is closer to chaos loaded with self-interest and stupidity by management and the board. T…

You do make a couple valid points but on the debt side are wrong. The only reason they have such a high debt is due to USA tax policy on repatriation. This has now been removed with new law so what will happen is there prob will not be anymore borrowing anymore. The CFO even mention they will be cash-neutral. Net net Apple will have very negligible debt moving forward and def nowhere near the level it is today or your +$200B.